What split between action and dialogue?

HekCentrik

HekCentrik

Member
I'm currently tinkering with a spec script - romantic drama. Problem is I have a finished first draft and although aiming for 90 mins, it's come in at only 68 pages.

It is formatted correctly, with mostly dialogue (including emotions and minor action) after an initial scene description.

Should I have more action or is the story simply not long enough?

I intend on shooting it myself but how do I know if I have just an hour's worth?

What exactly is the prescribed action/dialogue ratio for a non-action genre, if any?

Thanks
 
It's hard to give specific advice about more story or action without having read your script. Probably most people will tell you to add more action; film being a visual art form and all that. But try to be true to your characters. My two favorite romantic dramas are Before Sunrise and Before Sunset and those movies consist almost entirely of dialogue between Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. Of course, I'm also a big fan of My Dinner with Andre, so I tend to like dialogue-driven movies anyway. But I'm probably in the minority.
 
Rule of thumb is: 1 page=1 minute of film time. If you have 68 pages, you have
68 minutes of film time. Not enough for a full feature. You have about 22 pages
to go.

Act I = 30 pages

Act II = 60 pages

Act III = 30 pages

Use this as a guideline.

Charli
 
HekCentrik said:
I'm currently tinkering with a spec script - romantic drama. Problem is I have a finished first draft and although aiming for 90 mins, it's come in at only 68 pages.

It is formatted correctly, with mostly dialogue (including emotions and minor action) after an initial scene description.

Should I have more action or is the story simply not long enough?

I intend on shooting it myself but how do I know if I have just an hour's worth?

What exactly is the prescribed action/dialogue ratio for a non-action genre, if any?

Thanks
Click to expand...

There is no such ratio that I'm aware of. Even if there were, I would advise you to rally against it.

If i was in your situation i'd pass around what i had , maybe look for a cowriter. or just keep thinking about it. It must need something...
 
What Charli said. 100% probably a case of your second act coming in lite.

Although for a rom-com 90 pgs (90 mins) isn't a bad pg count to aim for.

So it would be:

1st Act 25

2nd Act 40

3rd Act 25

EJ
 
If you script is properly formatted and tightly written that that will be too short.

However, if your formatting is off or if you have lots of dense action with very little white space on the pages, then it might be that your story is actually long enough and just needs a rewrite for formatting.

Chris
 
Most pro script readers can look at a page and know if it's balanced... pick out some of the dialogue heavy pages, and read it to yourself, performing it the way you imagine it with beats and action and everything thrown in... a few sample pages should clear it up for you. 1page1minute as usual. This will help you get a read on your balance. If it seems you need more action description, right on... add it.

If that ISN'T the case and the balance seems right, then it still may not be a problem. You've already created a story arc... expanding the story 20 pages is no big deal. Throw in some scenes that help flesh out the characters, or show something you decided to only talk about... add a dreamsequence, show a flashback, throw in a trip to a burger joint or journey through time.

There are a hundred and two ways to add another dimension to your story and for the most part, if done right, it can help the story really fill out. Use every page wisely.

Sorry if this seems rambley... and sorry if that isn't a word.
 
Your story may not be long enough. If there's more to add to it keep writing, but if you've got a tight 68 pages I wouldn't recommend adding filler to hit 90 minutes. That would just ruin the story.
 
Just saw Primer last night. Only 77 minutes long. Great movie.

I agree with not adding filler just to bump up the runtime. Write the tightest story you can, then shoot that. Bear in mind, those 68 pages you have don't include end credits or opening titles, so it'll most likely be bumped to at least 71 or 72 minutes.
 
HekCentrik said:
Should I have more action or is the story simply not long enough?
Click to expand...

Maybe.

The 1 page = 1 minute idea really only applies to average/typical scripts.

If yours is really dialog-heavy, it may very well already be 90 minutes...or longer.

Easy way to check. :) Get someone (not you) to read a few pages, out loud...acting (if possible)...and calculate from there.

But if the dialog is that thick in there, you'll drive readers crazy. Break up any really long speeches with some action. That'll up the page count, too, a bit. But mostly it'll stop them from getting bogged down.
 
The Squid and the Whale clocks in at 70-some minutes as well - and it is FULL! It's also extremely tight, meaning we come in to almost every scene somewhere in the middle and only see what's necessary to move the story forward.

On a side note: Before Sunrise and Before Sunset - both on my 'Worst Ever' lists. Not because they're dialogue driven - because they're boring, whiny and arrogant and the dialogue is not believable in my opinion.
 
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